Tag: life

Cleaning and Decluttering

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"Tidy" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO640
 “Tidy” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。Today I woke up pretty early (for a Sunday) and watched a few TED videos about decluttering. As usual, I got inspired to throw out a lot of things that I don’t use or need. Consequently, my desk at home is getting really tidy! It’s a much nicer environment to work, blog, play games, or just hang out. 😀 And while cleaning up, I found a string of lights so I decided to string them up to celebrate. I think it makes the room even more fun.

"Mood Lighting" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 10mm, f/4, 1/20 sec, ISO320
 “Mood Lighting” Cedar Park, 2018

Besides the office, I went to my closet to see what clothes I can get rid of, but when I looked at my stuff, I realized I got rid of most everything already. Or so I thought… I have a hanging drawer set where I keep my shorts, pajamas, and workout clothes, and I haven’t gone through those yet. That drawer set had 10 sections, which were all occupied, but after declutering, there are only 5 slots with items in it. I basically got rid of old swimming trunks, workout shirts, and pajamas whose elastic bands had worn out. It’s amazing that I found so many running shirts! Even after throwing out so many, I still kept 4. Anyways, now my closet seems more airy and clean. I love it!

Simplifying my life is such a worthwhile thing to do. Now I am ready to tackle my books again. 😀

またね～

New Hat

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"New Hat" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
 “New Hat” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

My new cap arrived today. It’s an Adirondack chair design which I bought from The Life is Good Company. Spread optimism!

By the way, you may have noticed that I’ve been posting some Haiku lately. I sometimes use the WordPress Daily Prompt as motivation to write more, and I think it’s fun to make them into haiku. I’ve never really written any before so it’s a new experience. Keep growing and exploring!

またね～

Blue Button

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"Blue Button" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/4.5, 1/25 sec, ISO1600
 “Blue Button” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I took a photo of my beloved Fujifilm X100T’s latest goodie. It’s the blue anodized soft-shutter release button that used to be on my wife’s Fujifilm X-T10. I swapped the buttons on the two cameras, so now my black X100T has a bit more color.

I’ve kept my camera in “stealth” mode, with black gaffers tape covering the white logos and the soft-shutter release was a plain black version. But I took the tape off and am enjoying having the cool logo exposed. The blue soft-shutter release button looks pretty sharp, against the black body. It’s a millimeter smaller in diameter than the black button and sits a little higher as well. I would prefer if it was lower, but I like the smaller size.

I think the soft-shutter release button makes the camera better. For me, it helps reduce camera shake when I press it as compared to the regular button. Definitely a must-have for me!

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Sketch Style

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"Night Sketch" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 “Night Sketch” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I spent some time this evening drawing simple faces while looking at other artists’ work that I admire. I’m trying to find a style that I like – something that I can draw quickly to create stories. It’s fun to break down the different elements of a face and try to figure out the minimum number of strokes to create an eye that can convey some emotion or individuality. I’m sure this is the realm of the comic artist and animator, and it’s kind of cool to peek into that world. I feel like I am exploring the unknown! 😀 I guess this is part of the joy of learning new things, isn’t it?

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Wildflower Hunting

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"Prickly Poppies" Willow City, 2018
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 10mm, f/9.5, 1/1500 sec, ISO320
 “Prickly Poppies” Willow City, 2018

こんばんは。Today my wife and I took a drive out to the hill country to take photos of the Texas wildflowers. There were lots by the sides of the highways, but we didn’t find the perfect meadow with a big variety of flowers. Still, it was a fun outing and we happened to snap a few photos. I made for a nice Easter Sunday. 😄

Below is a photo of the famous Bluebonnet. I am actually not so fond of bluebonnets, though. I prefer the other wildflowers that appear at the same time. I think it’s because I feel that bluebonnets look so alien when I see them close up. From a distance, the blue/purple color from a patch of bluebonnets is really beautiful though!

"Bluebonnets" Burnet, 2018
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 10mm, f/9.5, 1/250 sec, ISO320
 “Bluebonnets” Burnet, 2018

I hope you had a nice Sunday!

またね～